A blog written in the dead of night and delivered to you in a brown paper bag. It’s a cornucopia of tidbits, rants, and observations for the discerning eye. Good luck with all that. Now, for something completely different!

It looks like Obama has enough delegates to now claim the Democratic nomination. Hillary Clinton has not conceded the nomination and rumors are that she is trying for the Vice-President slot to run with Obama. Naturally this rumor has been around for a while and it would make a powerful ticket for the Democrats. Personally I was still hoping for a bit of indecision going into the convention just because it would be nice to have something that wasn’t a foregone conclusion for a change. Truthfully, I’d like to see Clinton run as an independent and really throw a wrench into things. Think of the political chaos. It would be great. Voter anarchy running amok across the country with electoral votes splattering the wall like blood at the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre. The media wouldn’t know which way to turn, the computers would fry microcircuits trying to predict it all and in the end Ralph Nader wins. Now that would be politics.

LAP OF LUXURY WHILE IN JAIL?

An inmate in a prison in Brazil was apparently living a pretty good lifestyle. Genilson Lins da Silva’s life of ease has come to an abrupt end after police confiscated a plasma TV set, gym equipment, two pistols and cash worth US$173,000 from his cell. Ok, I’m sensing something not quite right here. He also had a cell to himself. Prison officials have launched an investigation as to how he was able to achieve this. I would think they should. Ok, how does a guy manage all this while in prison? With those guns he could have left at any time. But why? Private room, state of the art TV, a pile of money, how do I get in on this? I’m surprised he didn’t have a massuese on Tuesdays. This will certainly show him the error of his ways.

100 CARS STUCK ON FLORIDA BEACH

Over the weekend, over 100 cars became stuck on the Daytona, Florida beach. Apparently people are too lazy to walk to the shoreline and take their street cars across the sand. I live in Michigan where we have lots of sand beaches, we don’t take our cars on them. We park in lots. If we think that we can’t walk that far, I have an abreviation for you: ATV. It’s what they’re made for. Get to know them, make them your friend. Seems to me some folks just don’t think these things out very well.

MOONING INCIDENT GONE BAD

In Utrecht, Netherlands three men ran down the street mooning people. The bare bottom boys were having a great time and building up entusiasm with their prank. One of the men, backed up against a restaurant window and pushed. The glass shattered sending shards into a variety of places in his derriere in what are described as “deep wounds.” Ouch. He won’t be sitting for a while. The restaurant owner has decided not to press charges since the pranksters have agreed to pay for the broken window. He probably figures at least one of them has already been punished enough. There’s nothing like a little insult and injury.

THE QUEEN OF ENGLAND GETS GRUMPY…AGAIN.

I have to admit, I wouldn’t want to date any of the English royal family. The Queen would really hate me. First she was mad about the wedding pictures sold by her grandson’s new wife. Now she’s complaining that Prince William’s girlfriend, Kate Middleton, isn’t good enough for him. They aren’t even engaged. Apprently all you have to do is hang around to get the Queens dander up. Her reasoning is she doesn’t have a “real job.” She’s been working part-time for her family’s company and doesn’t have a career of her own. Personally I don’t see anything wrong with that. So the Queen wants her to clean her act up, and get a real job. She’s being termed “the Katie problem.” Middleton has had a job offer that might satisfy the Queen, but has been hesitant about taking it. It sounds to me like the Queen has too much time on her hands. Maybe she needs to get a real job.

At the “let’s give Hillary the shaft” meeting Saturday, Democratic Party officials came to a decision concerning what to do about the votes in Michigan and Florida that had been disqualified. They have agreed to seat all of the delegates, but they will only get half a vote. This was done to insure that Obama retains the lead in the delegate count insuring Clinton lags behind. Obama says he’s happy, Clinton says she will appeal. No surprise there. Apparently the Democratic Party REALLY wants Obama for their candidate. “How can you call yourselves Democrats if you don’t count the vote?” one man in the audience shouted before being escorted out by security. “This is not the Democratic Party!” The committee also ruled that Obama should receive some of the Michigan delegates, though he chose not to have his name on the ballot there. This effectively slaps Clinton in the face from her own party. It’s not nice to hit a lady. But then, there’s been nothing nice about this controversy from the start. Proponents of full seating continuously interrupted the committee members as they explained their support of the compromise, then supporters of the deal shouted back. “Shut up!” one woman shouted at another. “You shut up!” the second woman shouted back. Jim Roosevelt, co-chair of the committee, tried repeatedly to gavel it to order. “You are dishonoring your candidate when you disrupt the speakers,” he scolded. Well it looks like unity in this party has gone right down the drain. If nothing else, it’s going to make for interesting watching on the television. In the meantime, I’m sure the lawyers will take over and more idiocy will ensue. Party unity? Not with this election.

PRINCESS BEATRICE GETS SOME TABLOID ATTENTION

Being a public figure must be real pain in the butt. You can’t even go swimming without some idiot criticizing you. In this case it’s Princess Bea in a bikini. Sarah Ferguson, otherwise nicknamed Fergie, her mother is up in arms, no doubt over the fact that she was raked over the coals for being overweight a few years back. Now it’s her daughter and she’s yelling leave my kids alone. Well, they’re public figures and this is bound to happen. The picture below is reprinted along with the cover of the rag that printed it on an obvious slow news day with nothing else to report. Well, there’s nothing like a few Bea stinging remarks to sell papers. This was snapped when she was out for some R&R with her boyfriend Dave Clark. I wonder if he calls her “Honey Bea?” She was supposedly out looking for a new home while she was attending college, the “Bea Hive.” Her parents weren’t thinking when they named her this were they? That’s what you call a royal brain fart. If she would have been wearing a hat she could have been the Bea in a bonnet. She is in line for the throne which would, of course make her Queen Bea. Yea I went there. If she has kids are they drones or workers? Only time will tell.

THE LEANING TOWER OF PISA FIXED?

The Italians have stabilized one of their most visited tourist attractions, the leaning tower of Pisa. This building which was built on not-so-solid ground has been leaning further and further every year, which would of course eventually reach a point of toppling. Then it would would be the fallen, crumbled, rubble of the Tower of Pisa, Or it would be the Tower formerly known as Leaning. the tower has been closed to tourists, since 1990 and work to stablize the building has been ongoing. The workers even managed to straighten the building 1 1/2 feet of it’s previous lean. Now it’s the not quite so leaning tower of Pisa. The engineers estimate that they have given the tower another 300 years of leaning. The Tower of Pisa, leaning for the future.

HARVEY KORMAN

Here’s a quick remembrance of Harvey Korman who passed away last week. We’ll remember him the way he would want us to, making us laugh.

The following is a quick history lesson on where Memorial Day comes from. I did not write this and it comes from the Cox and Forkum website. It is nicely done and I figured if it isn’t broke don’t fix it. If you see a Veteran, I suggest doing this any day not just the holiday, tell them thanks and buy them a cocktail. They earned it.

The official birthplace of Memorial Day is Waterloo, New York. The village was credited with being the birthplace because it observed the day on May 5, 1866, and each year thereafter, and because it is likely that the friendship of General John Murray, a distinguished citizen of Waterloo, and General John A Logan, who led the call for the day to be observed each year and helped spread the event nationwide, was a key factor in its growth. General Logan had been impressed by the way the South honored their dead with a special day and decided the Union needed a similar day. Reportedly, Logan said that it was most fitting; that the ancients, especially the Greeks, had honored their dead, particularly their heroes, by chaplets of laurel and flowers, and that he intended to issue an order designating a day for decorating the grave of every soldier in the land, and if he could he would have made it a holiday. Logan had been the principal speaker in a citywide memorial observation on April 29, 1866, at a cemetery in Carbondale, Illinois, an event that likely gave him the idea to make it a national holiday. On May 5, 1868, in his capacity as commander-in-chief of the Grand Army of the Republic, a veterans’ organization, Logan issued a proclamation that “Decoration Day” be observed nationwide. It was observed for the first time on May 30 of the same year; the date was chosen because it was not the anniversary of a battle. The tombs of fallen Union soldiers were decorated in remembrance of this day. The alternative name of “Memorial Day” was first used in 1882, but did not become more common until after World War II, and was not declared the official name by Federal law until 1967. On June 28, 1968, the United States Congress passed the Uniform Holidays Bill, which moved four holidays from their traditional dates to a specified Monday in order to create a convenient three-day weekend.

THIS WAS COURTESY OF THE COX AND FORKUM WEBSITE

THE QUEEN HAS A GRUMP ON

A British newspaper says the Canadian bride of the Queen’s eldest grandson is being blamed for a controversial deal with celebrity magazine Hello! for exclusive photos of their wedding at Windsor Castle. Montrealer Autumn Kelly married Peter Phillips on Saturday at the castle’s 15th-century St. George’s Chapel in front of 300 guests. The deal is reported to be worth $1 million. That’ll pay for one heck of a honeymoon. The British royal family and particulary Queen Elizabeth is up in arms about this as they weren’t consulted on the deal. The wedding pics will include images of most of the royals, including the Queen, Princess Anne, Prince Charles, and Prince Harry and his girlfriend Chelsy Davy. Yep that about covers everyone the magazines would be interested in. The Brits are saying that images of their Queen doesn’t belong in a gossip rag. Too late now. Hello, published over 60 pics of the wedding. The new Mrs. Phillips said she needed the money to pay for expenses since nobody else was willing to pick up the tab. I think she probably has more deals in the making. I’m sure a book deal, How I Managed to Marry into the Royal Family, could be in the works. Then there’s the lecture circuit, 10 steps to courting the grandson of a queen. Then there’s talk shows, websites, the list is endless. She could make an entire career out of this. Wow Canadians have their own member of the royal family now. Hey, guest appearances at hockey games singing “Oh Canada.”

OBAMA PARROT

This is an idea that was suggested by one of the Midnight Ramblings readers, Tom Vickers. He has a blog here on wordpress that’s always worth a look at called TV’s Weblog-The Great Nonsense of Life. He thought that Smokey, the Obama supporting talking Parrot would fit right in. I agreed. This is just too funny. The video is taken from a CNN report done by Jeannie Moos. She’s quite clever and it’s cool to have it on the site. Watch and enjoy.

TAX ON PORN?

California is in deep financial trouble. Who isn’t? They have decided to get into the porn business so to speak. In an effort to get the state back on track a new concept in “sin” tax is being considered. Since most pornography is produced in southern California, state Assemblyman, Charles Calderon has proposed a 25% tax on all porn production and sale. Holy Ron Jeremy Batman! That’s a heavy duty tax. That’ll make your porn cost worse than the price of gas. Isn’t this a sort of state sponsored pimping? If they’re smart they’ll just pack up and move somewhere else. It’s not like they need studios, actors, or talent for these things. They ought to fit right in at Key West.

ROBBY KNIEVEL BEATS EVEL’S RECORD

“Hopefully I’ll see you after the jump,” Knievel told everyone just before he climbed the start ramp. With that, Robby took off and broke his dad, Evil Knievel’s, record. He jumped 200 feet and 24 semi trucks with his motorcycle. The previous record was 115 ft. This just so rocks. He did the jump in the same place, King’s Island in Mason Ohio, that his father had set the previous record. Robbie Knievel dedicated his stunt to his father, U.S. war veterans and those serving in the military. Look ma I can fly!

Irena Sendler, a Polish Social worker passed away at 98 in Warsaw, Poland. This woman is a true hero on every sense of the word and should be an inspiration to all. Born in Warsaw, Sendler served as a social worker with the city’s welfare department, masterminding the risky rescue operations of Jewish children from the Warsaw Ghetto during Nazi Germany’s brutal World War II occupation. Records show that Sendler’s team of some 20 people saved nearly 2,500 children from the Warsaw Ghetto between October 1940 and April 1943, when the Nazis burned the ghetto, shooting the residents or sending them to death camps. Babies and small children were smuggled out in ambulances and in trams, sometimes wrapped up as packages. Teenagers escaped by joining teams of workers forced to labor outside the ghetto. They were placed in families, orphanages, hospitals or convents. In hopes of one day uniting the children with their families – most of whom perished in the Nazis’ death camps – Sendler wrote the children’s real names on slips of paper that she kept at home. When German police came to arrest her in 1943, an assistant managed to hide the slips, which Sendler later buried in a jar under an apple tree in an associate’s yard. Some 2,500 names were recorded. She passed away in a nursing home Monday. She earned her wings in heaven. Hopefully her legacy will live on as our world is in such need of help. Deluged with natural disasters occuring around the globe Like Myanmar, China, and Chile, children and people are left broken and battered confronted with death daily. With so many in desperate need, her example of giving, selflessness, standing up for what is right, and braving all to save those in seemingly hopeless situations while casting away differences of idealogy, culture, and politics to serve the greater need of the human family to which we all belong and rally for their rescue.

A TRIBUTE – DAVID BOWIE AND QUEEN

DRUNK DRIVER ON LAWNMOWER

Have you ever been busted for driving a riding lawnmower drunk? An Irving, New York man can now say he has. Police got a call that a tuxedo clad intoxicated man was out driving a lawnmower in the early morning hours. He was charged with felony driving while intoxicated and aggravated unlicensed operation. When did this become a felony? Someone has no sense of humor. I didn’t know you had to have a license to putt your lawnmower along the street. How fast could this guy have been going? I think I would have just asked him to go home and sleep it off. Why tie up the court system with this? Must be the cops were annoyed because they got called away from their morning coffee and donuts.

FAMILY LIVES WITH DEAD PERSON IN BATHROOM

A Wisconsin woman and her two children were discovered living with a 90 year old dead woman sitting on their toilet. Alan Bushey, a self proclaimed bishop of the Queen of the Holy Rosary Shrine had told the woman, Tammy Lewis and her children, that the corpse would come back to life if they prayed hard enough. She and her two children prayed for four days and when nothing happened they propped her up on the toilet and left her there! The “Bishop” told the children that the decay in the corpse appeared as it did because demons wanted to make it appear as if she wasn’t coming to life. Can we all say “don’t listen to the Crazy Man?” Could this be any more braindead. Well, guess what, the body was left there for more than two months! It proves once again that people will listen to absolutely anybody.

FORECLOSURE ON MICHAEL JACKSON’S NEVERLAND RANCH AVERTED

Just in the nick of time, Neverland Ranch has been saved from the auction block. Michael’s palatial playground will apparently stay in his hands for the time being. A company has bought the loan, 23.5 Million, and now is negotiating with Jacko for terms of payment. Good luck with that. At this point his legal troubles have nearly bankrupted him and his reputation. He’ll have to put a rush on that new recording of his or it’ll get sold as an amusement park. You know, Graceland makes a lot of money. But, then again, Jackson isn’t Elvis. He was married to his daughter though. I wonder if that counts?

BEER PRICES RISE

OK, now I was annoyed with gas prices, then it was the rising cost of beef, we even have a rice shortage, but now they’re hitting me where I live. Beer prices are soaring. Due to the rise in transportation and a shortage of hops, It’s not like American beers use hops anyway, the cost of beer is going up. How am I suppossed to have a respectable tailgate party during football season? I’m on a low budget here and my gridiron Saturdays and Sundays are important to me, not to mention Monday Night. Maybe I’ll have to cut back on Bratwurst. No that’s just not right. I love my fermented malted beverages. This just sucks. I know what I’m doing with my tax rebate, stocking up on beer.

I'm an Author, Journalist, Columnist, Photographer, Editor and Publisher and have been writing for about 30 years. For several years I published my own magazine about Michigan's Upper Peninsula. I live in Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan. Currently I've been blogging around the internet - MAKE SURE YOU CHECK OUT MY OTHER HUMOR BLOG "What Were They Thinking?" AT: http://mikelclassen.wordpress.comTo learn more about the writer behind the blog, go his website at www.mikelclassen.com Sign the guestbook while you're there.